2014 HIGHLIGHTS

Dear Friends,

It is our great privilege and honor to share with you our “2014 Highlights Brochure.” FFEU’s 25th Anniversary year, 2014, saw the incredible growth and value of our work as the international address for Muslim-Jewish Relations and the national address for Black-Jewish relations. In 2014, not only did FFEU deepen its commitment to strengthening Muslim-Jewish ties in North America and Europe, but greatly enhanced our impact in other vitally important regions, including the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa.

In 2014, we continued to meet with leading heads of state around the world. These high-level gatherings are just one example of the extraordinary efforts that we have undertaken this past year. The Seventh Annual Weekend of Twinning, our signature Muslim-Jewish program, broke geographic records with more twinning events in Muslim majority countries than ever. The establishment and success of Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committees in NYC, Washington DC, LA, and more are strong testaments to our grassroots approach to Muslim-Jewish relations. Our 25th year also saw the expansion of the Gathering of European Muslim and Jewish leaders with successful campaigns for religious freedom throughout Europe. In the following pages you will find highlights of FFEU activities and events.

Very truly yours,

Russell Simmons Rabbi Marc Schneier Chairman President

1 EAST 93RD STREETSUITE #1C NEW YORK, NY 10128 TEL 917.492.2538FAX 917.492.2560

www.ffeu.org

Rabbi Marc SchneierPresident

Russell SimmonsChairman

Ken SunshineSecretary

Michael Heningburg, Jr.Treasurer

David RenzerMember of the Board

Ali NaqviMember of the Board

Jason KampfMember of the Board

Joseph KorenMember of the Board

Robert J. CyruliCounsel

Walter RubyMuslim-Jewish RelationsProgram Officer

Samia HathroubiEuropean Coordinator

Tamar SchneckDirector of Operations

Valentin CucuCommunity Manager

February 1, 2015

“There are too few people committed to reconciliation through honest dialogue. That’s

why the efforts of Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali to bring Jews and Muslims together, not only in the United States but also in Europe and the Middle East, are so important… I have been inspired

by their example, and I hope you will be, too”

—President Bill Clinton, from the Foreword to Sons of Abraham: A Candid Conversation About the Issues that Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims

In November, FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier travelled to Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, together with Imam Shamsi Ali, a leader of the New York Muslim community and native of Indonesia, to meet with government officials, including Vice President Jusuf Kalla, university students and members of a major international Muslim movement, Ahmadiyya. The translation of Rabbi Schneier and Imam Ali’s book, Sons of Abraham: A Candid Conversation About the Issues that Divide and Unite Muslims and Jews, into Indonesian as Anak Anak Ibrahim, by Mizan books, was the motivation for their trip to Jakarta, Jogjakarta, and Bali. The two spiritual leaders then travelled to Singapore, where they were guests of honor at a Weekend of Twinning event co-sponsored by Singapore’s Muslim and Jewish communities.

According to Rabbi Schneier, “I was pleased to have the opportunity to visit Indonesia and Singapore to share basic facts about Judaism with Muslims in a part of the world where few have the opportunity to converse with Jews. It is vital that we build ties with Indonesia, a moderate Muslim nation that can play a key role in strengthening global Muslim-Jewish relations.”

ANAK ANAK IBRAHIMINDONESIA AND SINGAPORE

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER AND IMAM SHAMSI ALI MEET WITH INDONESIAN VICE PRESIDENT, JUSUF KALLA

INTERNATIONAL SUCCESSES

On April 21, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority made international headlines when he invited FFEU President Rabbi Marc Schneier to a meeting at his office in Ramallah during which he described the Holocaust as the “single greatest tragedy in modern-day history.” A week later, at the request of Rabbi Schneier, President Abbas issued an official statement on behalf of the PA in which he asserted that the Holocaust was “the most heinous crime to have occurred against humanity in the modern era” and expressing sympathy with victims’ families.

Emerging from his meeting with the Palestinian President, Rabbi Schneier said, “I have no doubt that President Abbas was sincere and authentic in his remarks on the Holocaust,” adding, “Having the President of the Palestinian Authority strongly condemn the genocide of the Jewish people by the Nazis will weaken Holocaust denial throughout the Muslim world.”

PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS IN A MEETING WITH RABBI MARC SCHNEIER ACKNOWLEDGES THE HOLOCAUST AS “THE MOST HEINOUS CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY IN THE MODERN ERA”

INTERNATIONAL SUCCESSES

EUROPE

GATHERING OF EUROPEAN MUSLIM AND JEWISH LEADERS (GEMJL)

The Gathering of European Muslim and Jewish Leaders (GEMJL), is an affiliate of FFEU that serves as a trans-European Muslim-Jewish network focused on strengthening Muslim-Jewish ties in countries across the Continent, standing together against Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, and combatting legislative and judicial efforts to limit freedom of religious expression. GEMJL is funded, in part, by the Eranda Foundation, a. E.L. Rothschild project.

When the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly passed a resolution urging European governments to ban circumcision, GMEJL sprung into action. On January 30, Rabbi Schneier and FFEU European Programs Coordinator Samia Hathroubi led a joint delegation of European imams and rabbis to Strasbourg to meet with COE Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland and present a joint Muslim-Jewish petition protesting the resolution. Mr. Jagland reassured the Muslim and Jewish leaders that he would do everything in his power to protect the religious freedom of all Europeans, including the right to circumcision.

In February and March 2014, GEMJL led another campaign for religious freedom, protesting Danish Minister of Food and Agriculture Dan Jorgensen’s promotion of a law that would proscribe kosher and halal slaughter. FFEU and GEMJL organized delegations to meet with the Danish Ambassadors in Washington, Paris and London to argue that

the new law is a fundamental violation of the religious rights of Danish Jews and Muslims. Soon thereafter, Jorgenson invited a GEMJL delegation, which included Denmark’s Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner, to meet with him in Copenhagen to discuss the issue. So far, Denmark has declined to rescind the law and GEMJL remains on the case there and in other countries that might consider such an approach.

Far right political parties, which often express xenophobia, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitic sentiments and positions; scored alarming gains in the June 2014 European Parliament elections. To protest these ideologies, a GEMJL delegation held a press conference at the European Parliament’s opening session in Brussels in September at which they vowed to work together to promote religious freedom and oppose any proposed legislation that would impinge on the rights of the Jewish or Muslim communities throughout Europe. Noting that there had been a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Europe during the summer, some of it instigated by young Muslims, GEMJL member and Member of the European Parliament Afzal Khan made a dramatic appeal to Jews not to despair and leave Europe. “What we are saying is there is no need to do that [leave]….There are sufficient safeguards in place to protect European Jews and it is possible for Muslims and Jews to work together to make sure that society is providing equal opportunities, safety and protection for every citizen,” Khan said.

EUROPE

BBC INTERVIEWS DENMARK’S CHIEF RABBI BENT LEXNER

GEMJL IN COPENHAGEN WITH DANISH MINISTER OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, DAN JORGENSEN

GEMJL MEMBERS MEP AFZAL KHAN AND KAMRAN SHAH

Samia Hathroubi, FFEU European Programs and GEMJL Coordinator, has represented FFEU in various interfaith conferences in Europe and North Africa, including in Paris, Amsterdam, Rabat and more.

2015 opened in horrifying fashion when Islamist extremist gunmen in Paris attacked Charlie Hebdo Magazine and the Hyper Cacher market, killing 17 people. In response to the attacks, Samia organized a united delegation of about 70 Jews and Muslims from France, the United Kingdom and Italy, to march in the million-strong Paris Unity Rally under the slogan: Muslims and Jews Refuse to be Enemies. The delegation was applauded by thousands of Parisians and interviewed extensively in French, UK, and U.S. media.

EUROPEAN OFFICE

MUSLIM, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN ACTIVISTS AND LEADERS MARCH TOGETHER IN PARIS UNITY MARCH

EUROPE

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER SPEAKS AT THE ITALIAN SENATE

SAMIA HATHROUBI SPEAKS AT THE GREAT MOSQUE IN PARIS

TWINNING

SEVENTH ANNUAL GLOBALWEEKEND OF TWINNING

In a year during which conflict in the Middle East appeared to cast doubt on co-existence efforts, thousands of Muslims and Jews in cities around the world came together during the 7th Annual Weekend of Twinning to declare: ‘We refuse to be enemies. We will join together to build ties of communication and cooperation for the good of both our communities and the diverse societies around the world in which we live side by side.’

The Weekend of Twinning is an FFEU initiative every November and December that facilitates partnerships and programs between synagogues, mosques and Muslim and Jewish student, women’s and young leadership groups in countries around the world with the goal of building ties of communication, reconciliation and cooperation between Muslims and Jews.

The Weekend of Twinning kicked off with the first national conference of the Sisterhood of Salaam-Shalom,

a fast-growing network of Muslim-Jewish women’s groups affiliated with FFEU, held at the Dialogue Institute at Temple University in Philadelphia. More than 100 Jewish and Muslim women from Boston to Kansas City came together to affirm that women have a critically important role to play in spearheading the process of strengthening ties of communication and cooperation between the two faith communities. Two weeks later, FFEU Director of Operations Tamar Schneck and Samia Hathroubi spoke on the importance of women in strengthening Muslim-Jewish relations at an Interfaith women’s conference in Rabat, Morocco under the patronage of King Mohammed VI entitled “Women at the Heart of Monotheisms.”

On November 9, Muslim and Jewish doctors, dentists and medical personnel affiliated with the Ibn Sina Foundation and Temple Brith Shalom came together for the first ever Houston Muslim-Jewish Health Fair to offer health screenings and consultations to people without health insurance.

RABAT, MOROCCO

ROGER BISMUTH, PRESIDENT OF THE TUNISIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

WASHINGTON D.C.

TWINNING

On November 16, FFEU, together with Claremont Lincoln University, ReGeneration and the Pico Union Project, co-sponsored an exuberant concert event “Together in the City of Angels; A Musical Celebration of Muslim-Jewish Unity” in honor of the Southern California Muslim-Jewish Forum. In Washington D.C., FFEU and the Greater Washington Muslim-Jewish Forum brought together 70 imams and rabbis from D.C., Virginia and Maryland for a Summit of Washington Area Imams and Rabbis to discuss how to raise the profile of Muslim-Jewish relations for the their congregations.

On December 5, FFEU co-sponsored the first ever Weekend of Twinning in Nigeria, with the Chief Rabbi of Nigeria Israel Uzan bringing together prominent Nigerian Christian and Muslim leaders in a country that has been the scene of widespread violent conflict between Muslims and Christians. The Nigeria event, as well as other events that included Christian communities, such as Christmas twinning events; were sponsored, in part, by the Will and

Jada Smith Family Foundation. Two days later, FFEU, the Tunisian Association for the Protection of Minority Rights and the Embassy of France in Tunisia sponsored a Muslim-Jewish twinning event in Tunis. There, film director Karim Miske screened his award winning documentary, “Jews and Muslims: So Far Apart, So Close Together.” FFEU Muslim-Jewish Program Director Walter Ruby spoke at the event on the important role of Tunisia, the only democracy in the Arab world, as a venue for strengthening Muslim-Jewish relations.

The final major event of the Weekend of Twinning took place in Paris on Sunday, December 14, with FFEU Executive Director Will Eastman and Suhail Khan, White House Liaison to South Asian and Muslim communities during the George W. Bush Administration. Will, Suhail, Samia and other European Muslim and Jewish leaders presented on a panel about strategies to strengthen Muslim-Jewish relations in Europe. The event was co-sponsored by FFEU and the U.S. Embassy in France.

THE WILL AND JADA SMITH FAMILY FOUNDATION’S GENEROUS DONATION GREATLY ENHANCED THE 2014 WEEKEND OF TWINNING

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY, NEW JERSEYHOUCINE JAZIRI, ENNAHDA PARTY, SPEAKING WITHRENE TRABELSI, TUNISAN JEWISH LEADER

ABUJA, NIGERIA

SOLIDARITY COMMITTEES

MUSLIM-JEWISH SOLIDARITY COMMITTEESIn early 2014, FFEU initiated Muslim-Jewish solidarity

committees in Washington DC, New Jersey, and Los Angeles. In the ensuing months, Solidarity Committees have been established in New York City and Denver, with plans underway to create a Solidarity Committee in Detroit in the spring of 2015.

Based on the model of FFEU’s partner organization in Toronto, the Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims, the FFEU-initiated, lay-led, solidarity committees serve as umbrella bodies for Muslim-Jewish relations in metropolitan areas across North America. Building on the success of the Weekend of Twinning, the Solidarity Committees focus on engaging the Muslim and Jewish communities on an ongoing year round basis in three

specific areas: Standing Up for Each Other; Educating Ourselves about Each Other; and Organizing Cultural, Festive and Social Service events.

The Greater Washington Muslim-Jewish Forum (GWMJF) took part in protests against Islamophobic bus advertisements by the American Freedom Defense Initiative and held a meeting with executives of DC-TV, a Washington area public access station after it repeatedly aired an anti-Semitic documentary. On October 12, the GWMJF launched the Spread Hummus Not Hate campaign, a day-long bus tour by Muslim and Jewish activists with a series of public appearances throughout Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, to deliver the message; ‘We, Muslims

SPREAD HUMMUS, NOT HATE

FIRST MEETING OF THE NYC MUSLIM JEWISHSOLIDARITY COMMITTEE

MUSLIM AND JEWISH YOUTH IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA

SOLIDARITY COMMITTEES

and Jews, Refuse to be Enemies’. The participants sang peace songs and handed out delicious hummus and pita to hundreds of people they encountered along the route.

The New Jersey Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee had a number of achievements, including helping to ensure that the Islamic Center of Morris County in Rockaway, NJ is accorded the same rights by the local zoning board as are churches and synagogues in the area; and co-sponsoring a joint Succot/Eid al-Adha celebration for Jewish and Muslim students at Rutgers. The Committee is working hard to educate the two communities about each other by sponsoring appearances by Dr. Ali Chaudry of Islamic Society of Basking Ridge and Rabbi Deb Smith of

Congregation Or Ha Lev on the theme of “The Centrality of Peace in Islam and Judaism.”

In Los Angeles, the Southern California Muslim-Jewish Forum, made up of some of the city’s most influential rabbis, imams, and community leaders; focused on building a safe space for open and heartfelt communication between Muslims and Jews by holding several psychodrama exercises for community leaders. During the war in Gaza, members of the SCMJF held a moving session during which participants spoke in emotional terms about how the conflict was impacting them personally and affirmed the need for Muslims and Jews to stay connected with each other during times of crisis in the Middle East.

NEW JERSEY MUSLIM JEWISH SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE

25TH ANNIVERSARY

25TH ANNIVERSARY BENEFIT IN LOS ANGELESFFEU’s 25th Anniversary Benefit in Los Angeles at

Russell Simmons’ home was a night to remember!

Russell Simmons, FFEU Chairman, hosted FFEU’s 25th Anniversary Celebration in Los Angeles honoring Ron Burkle, founder, Yucaipa Companies; Bana Hilal, renowned Muslim activist and Quintin E. Primo III, Chairman and CEO, Capri Capital Partners; for their efforts in strengthening ties between ethnic and religious groups. Sean “P.Diddy” Combs made a special appearance to support FFEU and present the award to Mr. Burkle. The program also included a special testimonial to Sheikh H.E. Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Prince of Bahrain.

The evening was highlighted by personal stories and lighthearted comments about the honorees that were balanced by serious commendations and support of FFEU’s work. FFEU President, Rabbi Marc Schneier, and FFEU Board Secretary, Ken Sunshine, delivered remarks.

Over 300 of L.A.’s entertainment and business elite attended the Benefit including: Anthony Kiedis, Avril Lavigne, Flea, Jana Babatunde-Bey and more.

The event was photographed by the Patrick McMullan Company.

SEAN “P.DIDDY” COMBS, RON BURKLE, RUSSELL SIMMONS, RABBI MARC SCHNEIER AND KEN SUNSHINE

PRINCE ABDULLA BIN HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFAH, BAHRAIN, WITH RABBI MARC SCHNEIER, FFEU PRESIDENT

25TH ANNIVERSARY25TH ANNIVERSARY

JOSEPH PAPP RACIAL HARMONY AWARD HONOREE, QUINTIN PRIMO III

RUSSELL SIMMONS, FFEU CHAIRMAN

KEN SUNSHINE,FFEU SECRETARY

BANA HILAL, CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM HONOREE WITH FAMILY AND PAST FFEU HONOREE MOHANNAD MALAS

ALI NAQVI AND JASON KAMPF, FFEU BOARD MEMBERS

HONORS AND AWARDS

FFEU was honored at Congress for its 25th Anniversary as the national address for Black-Jewish relations on the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Summer. The event also commemorated the tragic murder of three Freedom Summer Jewish and Black activists: Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney.

The program featured FFEU’s founder and president, Rabbi Marc Schneier who was honored, along with Russell Simmons, FFEU Chairman; for their landmark efforts in restoring relations between the African-American and Jewish-American communities. Over 15 members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives spoke about their personal connections to the goals of

The Foundation, including: Senator Chuck Schumer of New York; Rep. Henry Waxman (CA), Rep. Ted Deutch (FL), Rep. Cleaver (TX), Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX), Rep. James Clyburn (SC), Rep. Bill Foster (IL), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia), Rep. Chaka Fattah (PA), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY), Rep. Steve Israel (NY), Rep. Alan Grayson (FL), Rep. Grace Meng (NY), and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL). FFEU Trustee, Jason Kampf, moderated the event. All in attendance, including Congressional members, Ambassadors, and African-American and Jewish-American leaders, received a copy of Rabbi Schneier’s book, Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community with a preface by Martin Luther King III, after the reception.

BLACK-JEWISH RELATIONS: U.S. CONGRESS HONORS FFEU

SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY) HONORS FFEU FOR 25 YEARS OF WORK IN BLACK-JEWISH RELATIONS

REPRESENTATIVE YVETTE CLARKE (D-NY)

REPRESENTATIVE EMMANUEL CLEAVER (D-MO)

REPRESENTATIVE JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC)

REPRESENTATIVE JERRY NADLER (D-NY)

We are inspired by the glowing recognition we received this past year. For our efforts we have been acknowledged as an organization that exemplifies an outstanding commitment to promoting human development and peace. The Turkish Cultural Center of Queens honored Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali with the Friendship Award for their work in Muslim-Jewish dialogue and cooperation. Claremont

Lincoln University, one of the first interfaith universities in the world, honored Russell Simmons, with an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters. Russell spoke at the university’s first convocation ceremony encouraging graduates to use their education to change the world. Finally, we congratulate FFEU Board Secretary, Ken Sunshine, on the New York Observer naming Sunshine Sachs as the number 1 PR firm in New York.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Sons of Abraham: A Candid Conversation About the Issues that Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims, co-written by Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali, was a big success in 2014. The two religious leaders spoke about the book and Muslim-Jewish cooperation with events throughout New York and New Jersey with the South Jersey Jewish Community Relations Council, Jamaica Muslim

Center, Frisch School, Barnes and Noble on the Upper West Side, Manhattan; Hunter college, and Temple Emanu-el. Moving beyond the Northeast corridor of the United States, the two travelled to Singapore and Indonesia after Mizan Books translated Sons of Abraham to Indonesian, providing access to the book’s invaluable lessons to the country with the largest population of Muslims.

SONS OF ABRAHAM

SONS OF ABRAHAM

RABBI MARC SCHNEIER AND IMAM SHAMSI ALI ARE HONORED WITH REP. GRACE MENG (D-NY) AND EMNIYET MUDURI DAVID BARRERA BY THE TURKISH CULTURAL CENTER OF QUEENS

MOHAMMAD KHAN PRESENTS A LETTER FROM THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF FAITH BASED INITIATIVES PRAISING FFEU’S WORK

FFEU IN THE NEWS

FFEU IN THE NEWS

1 EAST 93RD STREETSUITE #1C NEW YORK, NY 10128 TEL 917.492.2538FAX 917.492.2560WWW.FFEU.ORG

FFEU.NYC

FFEUNYC

FFEU.NYC

Rabbi Marc SchneierPresident

Russell SimmonsChairman

Ken SunshineSecretary

Michael Heningburg, Jr.Treasurer

David RenzerMember of the Board

Ali NaqviMember of the Board

Jason KampfMember of the Board

Joseph KorenMember of the Board

Robert J. CryuliCounsel

Walter RubyMuslim-Jewish ProgramsCoordinator

Samia HathroubiEuropean Programs Coordinator

Tamar SchneckDirector of Operations

Valentin CucuCommunity Manager